Chelsea will hope their recent push towards a top five spot in the Premier League table will give their European journey an added jolt as they visit Sweden for the first leg of their Conference League semifinal against Djurgarden on Thursday.
The Blues have not been beaten in domestic action since a 1-0 defeat to Champions League semifinalists Arsenal in mid-March, a run of five games without defeat that includes three victories.
While that span also includes a worrying 2-1 home defeat to Legia Warsaw in the Conference League quarterfinals, that wasn't enough to dump Chelsea from the competition, still managing to advance comfortably thanks to a 3-0 win in the first leg on the road.
Chelsea will be considered the heavy favourite of the remaining four teams in the competition, and a European trophy would provide a significant additional boost to the end of a roller coaster campaign that looks to have real potential for a fine finish.
The Sporting News runs through the latest team news and injury updates for both sides as the match draws nearer.
Djurgarden vs. Chelsea lineups, predicted starting 11, team news
Chelsea's Swedish opponents are beset by a litany of injuries that will hamstring manager Jani Honkavaara.
Highly-touted young midfielder Patric Aslund was absent for the quarterfinal legs against Rapid Vienna due to a foot injury and will miss out again here. Jacob Rinne is struggling with illness, while veteran Piotr Johansson recovers from a torn ACL.
The player to watch on Djurgarden is 21-year-old Norwegian winger Tobias Gulliksen, who has scored four goals across the Conference League campaign, including a heroic extra-time brace against Rapid Vienna to complete the late comeback last round. Additionally, fans will recognise Theo Bergvall, the older brother of Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall.
Djurgarden predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Manojlovic (GK) — Stahl, Tenho, Danielson, Kosugi — Siltanen, Stensson — Haarala, Priske, Gulliksen — Sawo.
Injured: Rinne (illness, doubt), Aslund (foot), Ekdal (thigh), Safqvist (elbow), Zugelj (foot), Johansson (ACL), Schuller (thigh).
Suspended: None.
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Chelsea are largely healthy at this point in the season, with only the absences of Wesley Fofana and Marc Guiu to contend with. Guiu is "close" according to Enzo Maresca, but this match is likely just too soon, while Malo Gusto is expected to return from his brief knock.
Maresca has worked hard to get the struggling Christopher Nkunku as many minutes as possible to turn around his brutal slump, but time is running out. It's possible that Nkunku gets another chance in this match given Chelsea's perceived superiority over the Swedish club, either up front in place of Nicolas Jackson or out wide as he was deployed against Legia Warsaw.
Chelsea predicted XI (4-2-3-1, right to left): Jorgensen (GK) — Cucurella, Colwill, Chalobah, James — E. Fernandez, Caicedo — Madueke, Palmer, Nkunku — Jackson.
Injured: Gusto (hamstring, doubt), Guiu (hamstring), Fofana (muscle), Gusto (knock), Kellyman (hamstring), Slonina (finger).
Suspended: Mudryk (doping).
Djurgarden vs. Chelsea live stream, TV channel
Here's how to watch this Conference League semifinal first leg across selected areas of the world's major regions:
| Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Thu, May 1 | 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT | — | Paramount+, ViX |
| Canada | Thu, May 1 | 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT | — | DAZN |
| UK | Thu, May 1 | 8 p.m. BST | TNT Sports 4 | discovery+ |
| Australia | Fri, May 2 | 7 a.m. AEST | — | Stan Sport |
| India | Fri, May 2 | 1 a.m. IST | — | JioTV, Sony LIV |
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